Beachwood Polls All Clear in Early Going of 2016 Election

BEACHWOOD, OH - Beachwood High School and the senior living center at Menorah Park were both line and trouble free for voters this morning. Residents were able to get in and out without any hassle.

Outside of Beachwood High School, signs for both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton clogged the tree lawns and hugged the parking lot. Voters were able to walk right into the high school and cast their ballot without ever breaking stride.

Susan Rzepka says that this year the polling site seemed busier than usual but she was still able to get in and out in a couple of minutes. She has lived in Beachwood most of her adult life and she says she has never missed a presidential election.

Considering the acidic vitriol swirling around this year's campaign, Rzepka says she was extra-motivated to get out and vote.

"I even pushed two young men that I work with to get registered to vote," she says. "One of them actually did get registered, so I feel pretty good about that."

Rzepka is a self-described "die-hard Democrat" and she told Patch that she voted for the left side of the ticket "where it mattered."

At just a little past 100 feet from the voting location, seated on foldout chairs, were Democrat and Republican polling observers. Their job is to ensure that everyone has a fair chance to cast their vote and to prevent any voter harassment from occurring.

The Democrats have deployed about 250 of these poll observers around Cuyahoga County and it is likely that Republicans have sent out similar numbers.

Katie Ward is the Democratic poll observer at Beachwood High School. She drove in from Kentucky and spent a week in Ohio learning the state's election laws and educating herself on the ins and outs of voter intimidation and what was allowed and what wasn't.

"Cuyahoga County is one of the most important counties in the nation," she says. "It doesn't just help determine how Ohio goes, it determines the nation."

Ward and her Republican counterpart have left partisan politics at home. Their job is to be impartial and to make sure everyone can vote. Even if Ward did drive to Ohio in a car decked out in Clinton bumper stickers and "Girl Power" slogans written across her back passenger window in car marker.

"I will not try to influence anyone to vote a certain way. I left all of my politics at home," she says and all of her conversations with voters were confined to saying good morning or chatting about wait times inside while this Patch reporter was there.

"Both the Democrats and Republicans want people to be able to vote and have their voice heard without fear or excess hassle," she says. "So far we've been doing pretty good."

Photo from Chris Mosby, Patch